Artichoke Leaves With Parmesan-Basil Aioli

I found this recipe in one of my favorite appetizer books: Cocktail Food: 50 Finger Foods with Attitude by Mary Corpening Barber and Sara Corpening Whiteford. This book has been one of my favorites, and has loads of party planning tips in the beginning chapter, and most recipes have beautifully composed photos to help you know where you are going with the end product. One of the best things about the recipes are the do-ahead tips. These tips are great if you are planning a big to do, or if you like to have things in the freezer for those "just in case" moments. All the recipes have cute names too, like "Leaves of Glory" for the artichoke leaves, or "Spear Ecstasy" for asparagus spears with a lemon-tarragon dipping sauce. This one should be on any party host's book shelf.

Cut the stems of the artichokes off flush with the bottom of the leaves. Trim about an inch off the top end. Remove the small-funky leaves from around the bottoms and trim the remaining leaves with scissors to remove the thorns on the top. To prevent discoloration, rub all of the cut surfaces with the lemon. Cook in a steamer with the lemon you used to rub the artichokes with until tender and leaves can be pulled off easily, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool.

Combine the mayonnaise (Best Foods brand if you are on the west coast or Hellman’s if you are on the east), Parmesan, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper in a small bowl. Refrigerate until chilled.

Remove the leaves from the artichokes, starting at the base, until the center is reached. For this dish you will only be using the leaves sturdy enough to hold the aioli, but save the less sturdy ones for your chef’s treat after the guests go home. Using a spoon, scrape off the choke and discard. Cut off any tough areas on the bottom of the hearts. Finely chop the hearts and add to the mayonnaise mixture.

Place 1 teaspoon of the mayonnaise mixture on each artichoke leaf and arrange leaves in an eye pleasing manner on a platter or tray. Garnish with the parsley.